Mixed response at aircraft noise decision

Citation

(2001), "Mixed response at aircraft noise decision", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773cab.010

Mixed response at aircraft noise decision

Mixed response at aircraft noise decision

Keywords: Noise levels, Airports, Airport Operators Association

It is reported that the body representing UK airports has expressed a mixed response to a new international standard to limit aircraft noise. While the new standard was welcomed as a step in the right direction, there was disappointment that it fell short of the more stringent target advocated by the Airport Operators Association.

The meeting, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal, agreed a new noise standard which is ten decibels lower than the current Chapter 3 standards, effective from 1 January 2006. A reduction of ten decibels is perceived by the human ear as a halving of the noise experienced.

Keith Jowett, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, commented: "We are disappointed that this opportunity to set a more challenging target for reducing aircraft noise has been missed. Although the ten decibel reduction is a step in the right direction, we pressed for a more stringent target to offset the effect of future growth in passenger numbers. As air traffic levels continue to increase, every effort must be made to mitigate the impact on people of aircraft noise. That's why we see quieter aircraft as vital to the future of air transport in the UK".

Details available from: Airport Operators Association. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7222 2249; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7976 7405; Web site: www.aoa.org.uk